mances.) 4. n. a symbol on a com- puter screen that shows that the computer is ready to receive infor- mation. pron. an abbreviation of pronoun. prone to doing something likely to [do] something; apt to do some- thing. pronoun ["pro naUn] n. a word that takes the place of a noun or nomi- nal and refers to someone or something already mentioned. (Abbreviated pron. here.) → reflexive (pronoun) pronounce [pr@ "naUns] 1. tv. to speak the sound of a letter or a word; to make the sound of a letter or a word. 2. tv. to declare some- thing about someone or some- thing officially. pronunciation [pr@ n@n si "e S@n] n. the way a letter, group of letters, or a word sounds when spoken; the way someone says things. (Plural only for types and instances.) proof ["pruf] 1. n. something that shows that something is definitely true. (No plural.) 2. n. a printed copy of something that is checked for mistakes before the final copy is printed; a first or sample version of a photograph. 3. tv. to proof- read something. proofread ["pruf rid] 1. tv., irreg. to read something very carefully to look for mistakes. (Past tense and past participle: proofread [ "pruf rEd ].) 2. iv., irreg. to read very carefully to look for mistakes. prop ["prap] n. an object that is used in a play or in a movie by an actor. prop someone or something up to support someone or something; to prevent someone or something from falling. propaganda [prap @ "gAn d@] n. information that tries to influence or change how people think. (No plural.) propeller [pro "pEl #] n. a set of blades that rotate very fast in air or water, used to push or move a boat or an airplane. proper ["prap #] 1. adj. right; suit- able; correct; appropriate. (Adv: properly.) 2. adj. [in grammar, of a noun] referring to a person or place. (Such nouns are capital- ized.) 3. adj. referring to a particu- lar place itself, and not an area outside of that place. (Not prenominal. Adv: properly.) properly ["prap # li] 1. adv. in the right way; suitably; appropriately; according to what is expected. 2. adv. strictly. property ["prap # ti] 1. n. some- thing that is owned. (No plural.) 2. n. an amount of land and any structures that have been built on it. (No plural.) prophecy ["praf @ si] n. the ability to foresee the future. (Plural only for types and instances.) prophesy ["praf @ saI] tv. to predict what will happen in the future; to say that something is going to hap- pen. (The object can be a clause with that U.) pron. 456 07 7/23/03 8:50 AM Page 456 TLFeBOOK prophet ["praf It] 1. n. someone who has the talent of being able to see into the future. 2. n. [in some religions] a person chosen to speak for God. proportion [pr@ "por S@n] 1. n. the relationship between the sizes of different parts of someone or something. 2. tv. to adjust the amount, degree, or size of some- thing in comparison to something else. → blow something out of (all) proportion → in proportion → out of proportion proposal [pr@ "poz @l] 1. n. a sug- gestion; a plan. 2. n. an offer of marriage made to someone. propose [pr@ "poz] tv. to suggest something; to say something so that it is considered. (The object can be a clause with that U.) propose a toast to make a toast W, before drinking. propose (to someone ) to ask someone to marry one. proposition [prap @ "zI S@n] 1. n. a proposal; something that is being considered; a suggestion. 2. n. a statement; a statement that is to be proved either true or false. propulsion [pr@ "p^l S@n] n. a force that causes something to move forward. (No plural form.) → jet propulsion prose ["proz] n. the usual form of written language; writing that is not in verse. (No plural.) prosper ["pras p#] iv. to become successful; to earn enough money so that one can live well; to thrive. prosperity [pras "pEr @ ti] n. the condition of being prosperous; success; monetary success. (No plural.) prosperous ["pras p@ r@s] adj. thriving; earning or having enough money so that one can live well. (Adv: prosperously.) protect [pr@ "tEkt] tv. to keep someone or something safe; to guard someone or something. protection [pr@ "tEk S@n] n. keep- ing someone or something safe; the quality offered by someone or something that protects. (Plural only for types and instances.) protective [pr@ "tEk tIv] adj. pro- tecting someone or something; giving protection; defending; keeping someone or something safe. (Adv: protectively.) protein ["pro tin] n. one of many chemical substances important to the cells of all living plants and animals. (Usually thought of in terms of food.) protest 1. ["pro tEst] n. a group of people displaying opposition or anger. 2. ["pro tEst] n. a com- plaint. 3. [pr@ "tEst] tv. to com- plain about something; to show disapproval of something. (The object can be a clause with that U.) 4. [pr@ "tEst] iv. to complain about something. → a ripple of protest proton ["pro tan] n. a particle in the nucleus W of an atom that carries a positive electrical charge. prototype ["pro t@ taIp] n. the original example of something prototype 457 07 7/23/03 8:50 AM Page 457 TLFeBOOK from which later examples are developed. proud ["praUd] 1. adj. showing or feeling pride; having a good opin- ion about oneself and what one has accomplished. (Adv: proudly. Comp: prouder; sup: proudest.) 2. adj. causing someone to feel pride. (Adv: proudly. Comp: prouder; sup: proudest.) 3. adj. having too high an opinion about oneself; arrogant. (Adv: proudly. Comp: prouder; sup: proudest.) → (as) proud as a peacock prove ["pruv] tv., irreg. to provide proofofsomething; to be the proof of something. (Past partici- ple: proved or proven. The object can be a clause with that U.) prove to be something to be shown to be someone or something; to be found to be someone or some- thing. proven ["pruv @n] a past participle of prove. provide [pr@ "vaId] 1. tv. to furnish or supply someone or something with something. 2. tv. to state or tell something. provide for someone to support someone by earning enough money to supply the person with food, clothing, and shelter. provide for something to allow something to occur or to be sup- plied. provided that something is the case on the condition that some- thing is the case; only if something is the case. province ["pra vIns] 1. n. one of the main divisions of a country, such as Canada, similar to a state. 2. n. an area of study, knowledge, or activity. provincial [pr@ "vIn S@l] 1. adj. of or about a province or provinces of a country. (Adv: provincially.) 2. adj. of limited, local experience; rural in attitude and outlook. (Usually derogatory. Adv: provin- cially.) provision [pr@ "vI Z@n] 1. n. a con- dition; a detail or statement. 2. n. an arrangement that is made ahead of time. (Often plural.) provisions n. food and supplies needed for everyday living. (Treated as plural, but not counta- ble.) provoke [pr@ "vok] 1. tv. to make someone angry; to irritate some- one. 2. tv. to cause an action to start or to happen. (Usually lead- ing to negative results.) prowl ["praUl] iv. to sneak around quietly, like an animal hunting for food or a thief looking for some- thing to steal. prowler ["praUl #] n. a thief; a bur- glar who sneaks about in the night. prude ["prud] n. someone who is easily offended or shocked; some- one who is overly modest or proper. prudence ["prud ns] n. wisdom; care in thought and action; thoughtful judgment. (No plural.) prudent ["prud nt] adj. wise; think- ing carefully before one does something. (Adv: prudently.) proud 458 07 7/23/03 8:50 AM Page 458 TLFeBOOK prudish ["prud IS] adj. too easily shocked or offended; too modest. (Adv: prudishly.) prune ["prun] 1. n. a dried plum, eaten as food. 2. iv. to remove extra branches or leaves from a plant; to trim a tree, flower, bush, or shrub so that it has a nice, even shape. 3. tv. to make a plant look nice by removing extra branches or leaves. prune something off ((of) some- thing ) to cut something off some- thing. pry ["praI] iv. to be too curious; to ask personal questions about things that should not concern one. pry into something to snoop into something; to try to learn about someone else’s private matters. pry something off ((of) something ) to use a lever to get something off something. pry something open to open some- thing with a tool by using force. pry something up to raise some- thing, as with a lever. psychiatrist [sI "kaI @ trIst] n. a doctor who treats people who have sicknesses of the mind. psychiatry [sI "kaI @ tri] n. the sci- ence of treating people who have sicknesses of the mind. (No plu- ral.) psychological [saI k@ "ladZ I k@l] 1. the adj. form of psychology Q. (Adv: psychologically [ Ik li].) 2. the adj. form of psychology W. (Adv: psychologically [ Ik li].) psychologist [saI "kal @ dZIst] n. someone who is trained in psy- chology; a specialist in behavior. psychology [saI "kal @ dZi] 1. n. the study and science of the mind and the behavior of individuals. (No plural.) 2. n. the way people behave, think, and feel; the way a person behaves, thinks, and feels. (No plural.) public ["p^b lIk] adj. available to everyone; available to people in general; not restricted; not private. (Adv: publicly.) → air one’s dirty linen in public → in public → in the public eye → wash one’s dirty linen in public the public n. people in general. (No plural.) public school ["p^b lIk "skul] n. a school that is paid for by the gov- ernment through taxes and that is available to all local children. publication [p@b l@ "ke S@n] 1. n. making information in written form, such as in a book, magazine, or newspaper, available to the public. (No plural.) 2. n. any writ- ten document that is published. → not for publication publicity [p@b "lIs @ ti] n. informa- tion that is brought to everyone’s attention. (No plural.) publicly ["p^b lIk li] adv. [done] in public; [done] where people can see. publish ["p^b lIS] 1. tv. to assemble, print, and sell books, magazines, newspapers, or other printed materials. 2. tv. to make some- thing well known. publish 459 07 7/23/03 8:50 AM Page 459 TLFeBOOK publisher ["p^b lI S#] n. someone or a company that assembles, prints, and makes written materi- als available for sale. pudding ["pUd IN] n. a soft, sweet, creamy food, usually eaten as a dessert. (Plural only for types and instances.) puddle ["p^d l] n. a collection of water or other liquid on the ground or the surface of some- thing. puff ["p^f] 1. n. a short blast of air, smoke, steam, gas, etc., that is blown out from something. 2. tv. to blow air, steam, smoke, etc., out a little bit at a time. 3. iv. to pull smoke from a cigarette or a cigar with small breaths. 4. iv. to breathe when one is out of breath; to breathe with short, quick breaths. → huff and puff puff out to swell out. puff someone or something up to boost or promote someone or something. puff something out to cause some- thing to swell out or expand out- ward. puff up (into something ) to as- sume a larger shape by filling up with air or water; to swell up into something. pull ["pUl] 1. tv. to move someone or something in some direction. 2. tv. to drag someone or some- thing behind oneself; to move someone or something behind oneself while one is moving. 3. n. a tug. pull in(to someplace ) to drive into someplace. pull off ( something ) to steer or turn a vehicle off the road. pull out all the stops to use all one’s energy and effort in order to achieve something. (From the stops of a pipe organ. The more that are pulled out, the louder it gets.) pull out (of something ) 1. to with- draw from something. 2. to drive out of something, such as a drive- way, parking space, garage, etc. pull someone in(to something ) to get someone involved in some- thing. pull someone or something up to drag or haul someone or some- thing upward or to an upright position. pull someone’s leg to kid, fool, or trick someone. pull someone’s or something’s teeth to reduce the power of someone or something; to make someone or something less of a threat. pull something down to tear some- thing down; to raze something, such as a building. pull something off ((of) some- thing ) to pull, tow, tug, or drag something off something else. pull something out to withdraw something. pull something out of a hat and pull something out of thin air to produce something as if by magic. pull something out of thin air Go to pull something out of a hat. publisher 460 07 7/23/03 8:50 AM Page 460 TLFeBOOK pull something up (out of some- thing ) to draw something up out of something. pull the rug out (from under someone ) to make someone inef- fective. pull the wool over someone’s eyes to deceive someone. pull through ( something ) to sur- vive something. pull up ( someplace ) to arrive at a place in a vehicle; [for a vehicle] to arrive someplace. pull up stakes to move to another place. (As if one were pulling up tent stakes.) pulp ["p^lp] 1. n. the soft part inside a fruit, vegetable, or plant. (No plural.) 2. n. any soft, par- tially solid, wet substance. (No plural.) 3. tv. to make W from something. pulpit ["pUl pIt] n. a raised platform that a preacher, priest, minister, etc., stands on when preaching. pulse ["p^ls] 1. n. the rhythm of the flow of blood through one’s body, caused by the beating of the heart. (No plural.) 2. n. a rhythm with a regular beat; a movement of something with regular stops and starts. 3. iv. to beat regularly, like the beating of the heart; to beat in rhythm. → take someone’s pulse pump ["p^mp] 1. n. a device that forces air, liquid, or gas through a tube or pipe. 2. tv. to force air, liq- uid, or gas through a tube or pipe. pump something in(to someone or something ) to try to force some- thing, such as a gas, liquid, infor- mation, or money into someone or something. pump something out to empty something by pumping. pump something out (of someone or something ) to remove some- thing from someone or something by force or suction. pumpkin ["p^mp kIn] 1. n. a large, round, heavy orange fruit that grows on a vine. 2. adj. made with Q. punch ["p^ntS] 1. n. a sweet drink made by mixing many different things, usually including some kind of fruit juice. (No plural.) 2. n. a tool or machine that pierces holes through objects or that stamps designs on objects. 3. n. a quick, powerful hit. 4. n. impact; effective power; strength. (Figura- tive on E.) 5. tv. to hit someone or something powerfully with one’s fist. punch a hole in something to make a hole in something with something. punch in to record one’s arrival at one’s workplace at a certain time. punch out to record that one has left one’s workplace at a certain time. punch something out (of some- thing ) to press on something and make it pop out of something. punch something up to register a figure on a cash register. punctuation [p@Nk tSu "e S@n] n. the use of punctuation marks to make writing easier to understand. (No plural.) punctuation 461 07 7/23/03 8:50 AM Page 461 TLFeBOOK punctuation mark [p@Nk tSu "e S@n mark ] n. a symbol used to make writing easier to understand, such as the period (.), the comma (,), the colon (:), the question mark (?), the exclamation point (!), and the hyphen (-), among others. puncture ["p^nk tS#] 1. n. a hole in the surface of something made by a sharp or pointed object. 2. tv. to make a hole in the surface of something by using a sharp or pointed object. punish ["p^n IS] 1. tv. to give some- one a penalty for doing something wrong. 2. tv. to use or handle something roughly. (Figurative on Q.) punishment ["p^n IS m@nt] 1. n. punishing; the practice of giving penalties for doing something wrong. (No plural.) 2. n. rough treatment. (Figurative on Q. No plural.) → a glutton for punishment punk ["p^Nk] 1. n. a young crimi- nal; a young person who gets into trouble a lot. 2. n. a loud, harsh style of music first made popular in the late 1970s by young people. (No plural.) 3. the adj. use of Q or W. puny ["pju ni] adj. smaller and weaker than average. (Adv: punily. Comp: punier; sup: puniest.) pup ["p^p] n. a young dog; a puppy; the young of certain animals, including the seal. pupil ["pju p@l] 1. n. a student; someone who studies in school; someone who is taught by a teacher. 2. n. the round, black opening in the middle of the col- ored part of the eye that allows light into the eye. puppy ["p^p i] n. a young dog. purchase ["p# tS@s] 1. n. an instance of buying something. 2. n. something that is bought. 3. tv. to buy something. purchaser ["p# tS@ s#] n. a buyer; someone who buys something. pure ["pjUr] 1. adj. completely made from only one thing; not mixed with anything. (Adv: purely. Comp: purer; sup: purest.) 2. adj. [of a color] clear and not cloudy. (Adv: purely. Comp: purer; sup: purest.) 3. adj. mere; absolute; nothing but. (Adv: purely. Comp: purer; sup: purest.) 4. adj. without sin; without evil. (Adv: purely. Comp: purer; sup: purest.) 5. adj. not having had sex. (Adv: purely. Comp: purer; sup: purest.) purge ["p#dZ] 1. n. an instance of forcing unwanted people to leave a government, university, society, or other group. 2. tv. to make some- thing clean by getting rid of what is dirty; to clean something out. 3. tv. to destroy records or files. purity ["pjUr @ ti] n. the quality of being pure; the degree to which something is pure. (No plural.) purple ["p# p@l] 1. n. the color made by mixing blue and red; the color of ripe grapes that are not green or red. (Plural only for types and instances.) 2. adj. of the color Q. purpose ["p# p@s] n. an intention; the reason that someone does something; a kind of goal. punctuation mark 462 07 7/23/03 8:50 AM Page 462 TLFeBOOK → on purpose purse ["p#s] 1. n. a bag used, espe- cially by women, to hold money and other personal items. 2. n. an amount of money that is offered as a prize. → control the purse strings → make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear pursue [p# "su] 1. tv. to chase someone or something; to follow and attempt to catch someone or something. 2. tv. to continue to work toward something; to seek something. 3. tv. to follow a plan of action. pursuit [p# "sut] 1. n. pursuing someone or something; chasing after someone or something. (No plural.) 2. n. a hobby or job that fills one’s time. push ["pUS] 1. iv. to force move- ment in a certain direction. 2. tv. to apply pressure to something, as if to move it. 3. tv. to move some- thing or someone by applying pressure. 4. n. a shove; a powerful movement that causes something to move. (No plural.) push ahead to move forward or advance with force or effort; to move by using pressure. push off to go away. push one’s luck and press one’s luck to expect continued good fortune; to expect to continue to escape bad luck. push ( oneself ) away (from some- thing ) to move oneself back and away from something. push out to spread out; to expand outward. push someone or something out (of something ) to force someone or something out of something. push someone or something up to raise or lift someone or some- thing. push someone to the wall and press someone to the wall to force someone into a position where there is only one choice to make; to put someone in a defen- sive position. push something off on(to) some- one to place one’s task onto another person; to make someone else do an unwanted job. push through something or some- place to force [one’s way] through a crowded place. put ["pUt] 1. tv., irreg. to place something in a certain position; to cause something to be in a certain place or position; to move some- thing to a certain place or posi- tion. (Past tense and past participle: put.) 2. tv., irreg. to express something; to say some- thing in a certain way. → stay put put a bee in someone’s bonnet Go to have a bee in one’s bonnet. put a cap on something to put a limit on something. put a hold on something to place a restriction on something showing it is reserved, delayed, or inacti- vated. put a spin on something to inter- pret an event to make it seem favorable or beneficial to oneself. put a stop to something to make something end; to stop something. put a stop to something 463 07 7/23/03 8:50 AM Page 463 TLFeBOOK put all one’s eggs in one basket to risk everything at once. put in a good word (for some- one ) to say something (to some- one) in support of someone else. put in one’s oar to give help; to interfere by giving advice; to add one’s assistance to the general effort. put in one’s two cents(’ worth) to add one’s comments (to some- thing). (Implies that one’s com- ments may not be of great value but need to be stated anyway.) put on to pretend; to deceive. put on a brave face to try to appear happy or satisfied when faced with misfortune or danger. put on one’s thinking cap to start thinking in a serious manner. put one through one’s paces to make one demonstrate what one can do; to make one do one’s job thoroughly. put one’s best foot forward to act or appear at one’s best; to try to make a good impression. put one’s cards on the table and lay one’s cards on the table to reveal everything; to be open and honest with someone. put one’s foot in it Go to put one’s foot in one’s mouth. put one’s foot in one’s mouth and put one’s foot in it; stick one’s foot in one’s mouth to say some- thing that one regrets; uninten- tionally to say something stupid, insulting, or hurtful. put one’s hand to the plow to begin to do a big and important task; to undertake a major effort. put one’s mind to something to give one’s complete attention to something. put one’s nose to the grindstone to keep busy doing one’s work. put one’s shoulder to the wheel to get busy. put oneself out to inconvenience oneself. put out to generate lots of some- thing. (Colloquial.) put some teeth into something to increase the power of something. put someone off 1. to delay action with someone. 2. to repel some- one. put someone on to tease or deceive someone. put someone or some creature to sleep 1. to kill someone or some creature. (Euphemistic.) 2. to cause someone or some creature to sleep, perhaps through drugs or anesthesia. put someone or something out to pasture to retire someone or something. (Originally said of a horse that was too old to work.) put someone or something over to succeed in making someone or something be accepted. put someone out to annoy or irri- tate someone. put someone through the wringer to give someone a diffi- cult time. (As one squeezes water from clothing in an old-fashioned wringer washing machine.) put all one’s eggs in one basket 464 07 7/23/03 8:50 AM Page 464 TLFeBOOK put someone to bed to help some- one—usually a child—get into a bed. put someone to shame to make someone ashamed; to embarrass someone, especially by outdoing someone. put someone to sleep to bore someone. put someone to the test to test someone; to see what someone can achieve. put someone up (for something ) to nominate or offer someone for some office or task. put someone’s eye out to puncture or harm someone’s eye and destroy its ability to see. put someone’s nose out of joint to offend someone; to cause some- one to feel slighted or insulted. put something across (to someone ) to make something clear to someone. put something down to take the life of a creature mercifully. put something off (until some- thing ) to postpone or delay some- thing until something happens or until some future time. put something on to dress in an article of clothing. put something on ice and put something on the back burner to delay or postpone something; to put something on hold. put something on paper to write something down; to write or type an agreement on paper. put something on the back burner Go to put something on ice. put something on the cuff to buy something on credit; to add to one’s credit balance. (As if one were making a note of the pur- chase on one’s shirt cuff.) put something on the line and lay something on the line 1. to speak very firmly and directly about something. 2. to put something at risk; to risk losing something. put something through its paces to demonstrate how well some- thing operates; to demonstrate all the things something can do. put something to bed to complete work on something and send it on to the next step in production, especially in publishing. put something up (for sale) to offer something for sale. put the cart before the horse to have or do things in the wrong order; to have things confused and mixed up. put two and two together to fig- ure something out from the infor- mation available. put up a (brave) front to appear to be brave (even if one is not). put upon someone to make use of someone to an unreasonable degree; to take advantage of some- one for one’s own benefit. (Typi- cally passive.) put words into someone’s mouth to speak for another person with- out permission. Put your money where your mouth is! a command to stop talking and make a bet. Put your money where your mouth is! 465 07 7/23/03 8:50 AM Page 465 TLFeBOOK . ["pro tin] n. one of many chemical substances important to the cells of all living plants and animals. (Usually thought of in terms of food.) protest 1. ["pro tEst] n. a group of people displaying. dZi] 1. n. the study and science of the mind and the behavior of individuals. (No plural.) 2. n. the way people behave, think, and feel; the way a person behaves, thinks, and feels. (No plural.) public. (as) proud as a peacock prove ["pruv] tv., irreg. to provide proofofsomething; to be the proof of something. (Past partici- ple: proved or proven. The object can be a clause with that